It was launched on 22 March and intended to complement Dennis Publishing's gambling magazine, Total Gambler. It was the brainchild of editor-in-chief Charlie Methven, and the UK's first new national daily newspaper since the launch of the Daily Sport in 1991. It claimed to be a one-stop shop for the modern punter, offering news, views and tips on sport, racing and anything else bookmakers give odds on.

Sales reached 22,333 in May, some way short of its target break-even figure of 40,000. The publisher went into administration in July. A subsequent attempt to refinance its debt failed, and the paper ceased publication on 5 October.

• "Sports paper gamble fails". Evening Times. 6 October 2006.
• "The rise and fall of the Sportsman". The Guardian. 6 October 2006. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
• "Methven on The Sportsman's failure". Press Gazette. 13 October 2006. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
• Brook, Stephen (9 October 2006). "One paper parties while another expires". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
• Preston, Peter (8 October 2006). "It's a better thing to have bet and lost ..." The Observer. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
• Parkinson, Gary (7 October 2006). "All bets are off: 'The Sportsman' stops publication". The Independent. Retrieved 6 April 2009. ^{[dead link]}
• "About TheSportsman".